Instaurare

Member
Sep 22, 2003
60
0
Before I bought a new KDX, I had been searching on ebay and local papers for a used one, and I was surprised at how often they were advertised as being very low in mileage, hardly used at all, but the owners lacked a certificate of origen. Then when I noticed that these bikes had no steering lock, and needed no ignition key, I began to think that this must be an incredibly easy bike to steal. So is this a very common thing? Are these bikes much more prone to theft than normal?
 

chris kuba

Member
May 31, 2003
83
0
All offroad dirt bikes are prone to theft. They don't come with a key or anything to prevent then from being stolen. They are light enough to lift and are useually left in places for thieves to get to them easily. Most bikes didn't come with a title or anything like it and most people don't keep track of them with dirt bikes either. For all I know my used 200 could have been stolen at one time. But fortunately for me I'm a cop and I can run the VIN at any time to check that stuff. Keep it locked up or someone will take it. Trust me.
 

Sprout

Member
Dec 10, 2002
12
0
I agree with Peegreen, and am myself a police officer. The best thing to remember about theft is out of sight out of mind. Don't leave your bike out, and don't show anyone your bike that you don't know or trust. I always keep my bikes locked up in my garage and covered. If you don't have a garage, find a friend that does or rent a storage unit. Nothing is full proof, and if a thief wants it bad enough the thief will have it. I keep full records of all my things in the event my property/bike is stolen. A little suggestion for everyone is to write their serial number, model number, year and any after market parts or anything that will help identify your bike down. If you have never taken a picture of your bike, take one and in the event you bike is stolen provide the picture to the officer. Face the facts that some officers will not have a clue on what your bike will or should look like. I'm sure Peegreen will agree, nothing is more frustrating for an officer to handle a theft complaint when the victim does not have a serial number or even a model number on the item that was stolen. Then the victim expects you to pull out a miracle and not only find the item but prove it was owned by them. Before you buy a bike, write down the serial number and have your local law enforcement agency conduct a VIN check to make sure you are not buying a hot bike.

On a better note, use common sense, follow some of the rules above and keep insurance on your bike.
 

Instaurare

Member
Sep 22, 2003
60
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Thanks to both of you for very helpful info. When I was still considering a used bike, the local police referred me to the DMV for the VIN check, then they referred me back to the police. I found out also that my homeowners insurance will cover a lawn tractor for mowing the lawn, but it will not cover the loss of an offroad bike or snowmobile. As you say, pays to keep it under lock and key.
 

Sprout

Member
Dec 10, 2002
12
0
The law enforcement agency should have done a VIN check for you, sorry they gave you the run around, but maybe they have a policy restricting them from doing so. You have to have insurance on your bike just like you do for a vehicle or boat (At least the bike insurance in fairly cheap). Good luck with your find.
 

scooter1130

Paragon Junkie
Damn Yankees
LIFETIME SPONSOR
May 31, 2002
1,229
2
I wish we could get insurance for the bikes, but they don't offer it on dirtbikes in NJ.  the best we can do is get liability insurance on them, but even that can be hard to get on some bikes.
 

G. Gearloose

Pigment of ur imagination
Jul 24, 2000
709
0
As soon as you get an off-road plate, the DMV takes your COO if there is one in your stack of papers.

When registering my wife's TTR, the DMV lady didn't hand back the COO, and I said " are you giving me a title?" (knowing the answer , "no"), so I said, "then I want to retain my COO", she said OK and it was that easy.

An owner still having a COO is rare.
 

chris kuba

Member
May 31, 2003
83
0
Surprised to see this post back from October. I just wanted to what my brother Sprout was saying. Some departments have restrictions on the use of certain information gathering equipment, like the ones that find VIN or personal ownership information. Our department can tell you if it's stolen but will not tell you who ownes it or where they live. I think if you want to get this info just inform the officer that all you want to know is if the VIN is clean. My bike comes back with "no record found" which shows that it is clean but was never entered into the DMV records at any time. This will be the case most of the time and I have run across it many many times. We will recover bikes with the VIN rubbed off or painted over. That right there says " I'm stolen" so don't buy it. If your found riding one of those you can be arrested or the bike will be taken until you can prove ownership. If you have any other law enforcement questions go ahead and post them and I'll try to answer them for you. Sorry but I can't run VIN's for you though.
 

moridin

~SPONSOR~
Dec 30, 2003
257
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Wonder why some states dont allow insurance. I have full coverage on my KDX (although I have a plate for mine and have to) and it costs $65 a year. That is pretty darn cheap if you ask me.

I have this cool little lock that is the size of a wrist watch and bolts through the disk brake rotor. Not fool proof - but use it at gas stations, runs into town while riding etc. I also have a manly cable lock that is 6' long - weighs a couple of pounds - so I just leave it in my rear pack. Nights at cabins will find it strapped to the nearest item that weighs 500+ pounds.

Correct me - but Carfax only charges $20 I think and will give a prospective buyer the info on a VIN even for bikes. I think they brought bikes online a couple years ago.

sn
 

chris kuba

Member
May 31, 2003
83
0
To the best of my knowledge Carfax will only give you information on a vehicle that has been entered into your states DMV files. Like in my case my bike has never been entered so Carfax has no way of obtaining that information. I also believe Carfax only tells you if your particular vehicle has been involved in a crash. What that means in PA is this. There are two different types of reports in PA. A crash is either "reportable" or "non-reportable". A reportable crash means that the vehicle cannot be driven from the scene due to damage or the driver or occupants were injured or killed. For this type of crash there would be a full investigation into the cause and events surrounding the crash. A reportable crash would be entered into PennDOT files by the State Police and Carfax and insurance companies would have access to the information. If the crash is non-reportable, i.e. there was no one injured in the car, or the damage was so minor that the car could be driven away from the scene there would be no real investigation. In this case the local police will only do a departmental report that documents that a crash did occur but there was no "investigation" as to the cause. Furthermore, Carfax does not have access to NCIC (National Crime Information Center) where stolen vehicles are posted. So please do not count on Carfax for any real information. It is a car dealer tool to lull you into thinking your getting a perfect car.
 
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